Guts envisions himself as Donovan, and is choking who he believes to be his younger self. In reality, he is gripping Casca by the throat, and has forced her up against the tree's trunk, choking her. Coming to his senses, he lets Casca go, but he cries out that he never meant to kill Gambino. He tells Casca of the ordeal he suffered at Donovan's hands, and how he couldn't protect himself. Guts' memories as a child surface, and he tells Casca the story of how he came to be adopted by Gambino, and how the same man sold him to Donovan. He admits to having killed Donovan and making it look like enemy forces committed the act, and recounts how he defended himself from the drunken Gambino, and accidentally killed him.

Casca accepts Guts' dark past.

Guts falls to his hands and knees, calling out to Gambino, his adoptive father. Casca touches his shoulder, and he violently flinches, being brought back to his senses.

Suddenly realizing how rough he made Casca's first time having sex, he tosses her his cape to cover herself and says he will leave if she tells him to. He tells her that the nightmares of Donovan and Gambino hadn't happened in as long as a year, but have suddenly resurfaced upon his and Casca's attempt to make love.

Guts and Casca cement their new relationship.

Casca throws his cape away and hugs him from behind. Now that they've revealed their weaknesses and insecurities to each other, she feels much more comfortable. They decide to try having sex again, and this time it is much more enjoyable. Afterwards, Guts remembers the time as a child when he rubbed Gambino's ointment into the wound of his nose after the latter inflicted the very injury.

Guts and Casca fall asleep together in each other's arms, where they remain until sunrise.